Battle of Arou
Battle of Arou was the opening battle for the Gra-Valkas's Mu invasion. The battle ended fairly quickly with the overwhelming victory going to the Gra-Valkas Empire Background The location of the battle Arou is a town located on a small plateau, surrounded by plains and some small hills. The town was originally surrounded by walls, but because these walls were no longer suitable for modern warfare, it was abandoned and the town itself grew beyond the walls. This is one of the places Mu is expected to be attacked, though not sure. Gra-Valkas's plan After a series of efforts to isolate the Second Civilization from outside support and communication, Gra-Valkas decided it was the right time to start the Mu invasion. By occupying the strongest country in the Second Civilization Region, Gra-Valkas will not only eliminate a potential strong opponent (Emperor Gralux contends that Mu and Japan, due to their ability to develop technology by themselves, need to be destroyed before they progress and become a real threat), at the same time, it also occupies a large territory with abundant manpower and resources, along with developed industrial infrastructure, which is very necessary for their conquest of the New World. They were well prepared: from January to March 1643 (Central Calendar) a large number of reinforcements were sent to Reifor as the main force of the invasion.The force consisted of very elite units such as the 4th Armored Division, which was the strongest and only armored division of the Gra-Valkas Empire. There were no significant obstacles in reinforcements due to the almost absolute control of Gra-Valkas both in the air and at sea, although the efforts of the World Union in the Battle of Baltica made these activities (possibly) a bit difficult. Mu's plan Mu had long predicted a Gra-Valkas invasion of their territory, though it was not clear when and where the attack would take place. Mu began to prepare to deal with this supposedly-possible invasion by strengthening the border defenses, organizing evacuation of civilians, etc. However, it seems that at the time of the attack these activities were not completed. In addition, due to not knowing where the attack would take place, Mu had to spread thin defenses across the border adjacent to Reifor, unintentionally making them more vulnerable, because they had no idea that Gra-Valkas will adopt a new tactic that will make all their calculations turned upside down. Battle The battle began with shelling down the town from Barbarus Air Base. The range of Gra-Valkas artillery is too far (about 30km), beyond Mu's anti-artillery range. The shelling caused many casualties in Arou, mostly civilians, who believed that an invasion into the world's second most powerful country was unrealistic until too late. When the hail of artillery shells ended, the 4th Armored Division immediately attacked, attacking directly on the trenches held by Mu's 24th Army with air support. Antares fighters were quick to outperform the Mu's Marin fighters, which had less speed and maneuverability, and even anti-aircraft fire could not help Mu regain air superiority. On the ground, the 24th Army also showed a rapid loss of position before the 4th Armored Division, despite its numerical advantage. Forced to stretch on a 20km battle-line and, more seriously, not possessing any anti-tank weapons, the Mu infantry desperately fought off the tanks and infantry of Gra-Valkas only to be discovered and in turn destroyed by machine guns and tank guns. Mu's artillery also fired, but its low accuracy, small caliber and no armor-piercing rounds made them powerless against Gra-Valkas tanks. Aftermath On the same day, the border town of Arou fell into the hands of Gra-Valkas. A few surviving Mu soldiers surrendered. The Mu people at Arou were later exposed to the inhumane actions, such as rape and looting, of the Gra-Valkas soldiers and officers (an act that was deliberately ignored, even responded by officers and generals). Category:Events Category:Wars Category:Battles